


when the avengers met pepper

by belgiques



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gen, Major Team Feels, One Big Happy Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2018-05-05 06:58:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5365703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belgiques/pseuds/belgiques
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>or five times someone met Pepper and liked her immediately (and one time someone didn't).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bruce Banner

She was fumbling around in the dark for a flashlight or candle—seriously, of all the times her BlackBerry wasn't attached to her hip.

The Malibu house she knew like the back of her hand, but the newly constructed Avengers Tower (how convenient that only the A had been left), that was a whole other story. They'd only been living there for a week and a half and she still needed to adjust—especially in the dark.

She'd been in her and Tony's bedroom, finishing up a few last-minute reports Tony would scold her for, insisting she worked too much. But at the moment he was breathing heavily right beside her, deep in slumber.

Pepper looked at the clock, which read 2:03 am. She really needed to sleep, but first she needed to tell Jarvis to secure the building and lock everything down. Everyone had probably left a long time ago. She was just entering the kitchen, in an effort not to wake Tony by talking to Jarvis in their bedroom.

All of a sudden, the lights went out and she was standing in a completely dark living room and kitchen full of stuff. The security panel was located across the room, there she could type in her access code to secure the building remotely. Jarvis was offline now too— _great_. She really should've brought her phone. Her surroundings were trickier to manage than even Tony's workshop used to be; even larger, more things scattered about. She fumbled around, knocking against a few stools, a small table, until finally, she stubbed her toe against the counter. Swearing, she grabbed ahold of it and tried to feel around the cabinets for a flashlight and after a few failed attempts, she found one.

The security panel was easy to find after that. Ducking her head, she typed in her code and heard the satisfying beep of the manual lockdown. A rustling followed by a dull thunk made her jump suddenly and Pepper saw stars as her head collided with the cupboard above her. She let out a yelp and when a crash sounded behind her — a lamp, if she had to guess — Pepper turned towards the noise.

The flashlight in her hand revealed a disheveled-looking man who was sort of shuffling in place.

"Are you okay?" he asked urgently, his eyes not even straying towards her state of slight undress.

"I—Who are you?" she asked instead, noticing the Stark Industries badge courtesy of Happy.

"I'm Bruce Banner. I'm, uh, a colleague—"

"Dr. Banner, of course," she filled in, remembering the files Tony had shown her one night. She just hadn't expected to see him in her kitchen in the dead of night. "I know who you are. Tony's told me all about you."

His eyes widened and Pepper had to refrain from smiling at his comically surprised expression.

"You're Pepper Potts?"

"Last time I checked my ID, yes."

He was fumbling around nervously, and Pepper wondered whether she should take pity on him.

"You're Tony's girlfriend?"

"God help me, but yes," she affirmed, grinning at him. He looked her over for a moment and frowned. She thoughtfully raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sorry. It's just—You're so..." he was gesturing wildly, trying to communicate what he couldn't seem to bring into words.

"What?" she urged, still smiling gently.

"You're just so... regular."

"Excuse me?" she asked, both eyebrows raised now.

He immediately looked alarmed. "I mean ordinary," he amended, again immediately realising his mistake. Waving his arms, he tried, "No! I mean, you're normal. And he's extraordinary."

"You really know how to flatter a woman, Dr. Banner," Pepper chuckled, finally giving in at seeing the panicked look on his face. She stepped forward and offered her hand, which he shook gratefully.

"Bruce, please. It's very nice to meet you, Miss Potts. I've only heard good things about you," he told her, smiling rather shyly, throwing a glance at the shattered lamp on the floor. "I'm sorry about that. I'll pay for it."

"Oh, please, it's fine. If you knew the number of times Tony has trashed the places he lives in... Let's just say one lamp won't make the difference. Oh, and call me Pepper."

He smiled again and she looked at him for a couple of seconds, waiting for him to speak. When he didn't, she asked the obvious question. "So, can I ask what you're doing here at two in the morning, Bruce?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Bruce chuckled, stepping further towards her so his face was lit by the light outside. "Tony said I could keep working for a little bit, and I was just on my way downstairs when the elevator stopped and let me out here."

Of course. Jarvis' absence would trigger the safety protocols throughout the whole building. Tony could be somewhat larger than life at times, but he really was the most brilliant man she'd ever known. Looking around, she gestured to the couch so that they could both sit down. Luckily the room was adequately lit thanks to the many windows and expectionally bright Moon.

"How are you settling into the lab?"

"It's really nice," he told her. "Top-notch equipment, someone to bounce ideas off of and who can actually handle... the other guy. It's the most secure I've felt in a while," he admitted, throwing her a slightly sad smile.

"I know that Tony would be very happy to hear that. I'm glad you're here, so he's not constantly cooped up in those labs alone. I'm not around as much as I used to be to drag him out of there in time."

Pepper smiled at the memories; how she used to be mostly his babysitter and go-to person to mess with, the easy report that she had carefully kept within certain limits, until Afghanistan provided a wake-up call for both of them—Tony took responsibility and she became his equal. She became more worried than ever, but he confided in her more and more. And she guessed that the rest was history...

"I'm sorry you had to work alone tonight," she continued apologetically, "I forced him to go to sleep. Ever since New York, he's been... different. PTSD, I think—not that he'd admit it."

Bruce nodded in understanding. "I don't know Tony as well as you do, of course, but I think he has realised how vulnerable everyone he cares about is. _He_ might have the metal suit, but the rest of you don't."

Pepper tried to maintain her composure, but Bruce had hit the nail on the head. Although she was scared every time he went out, she knew that he was capable of taking care of himself and now she had some peace in knowing that he had an entire team he could count on who would watch his back.

"I think you've pretty much got him pegged. One thing I've seen in him from the moment I became his assistant is that Tony loves too much. Always has. That's why he doesn't trust a lot of people. I'm glad that The Avengers are there to remind him that he's not alone," she told him, choking up a bit. Bruce tentatively reached out and touched her shoulder in comfort. Something about him made her feel incredibly calm, nothing that suggested he could be anything less.

"And you're there," he reminded her in a gentle tone.

"Well, I try to be."

"He talks about you all the time," Bruce insisted, remembering one time he'd actually timed Tony telling all of them a story about her. As Natasha was the only one familiar with her, the rest of them had made up their own image of Pepper Potts. They all knew she had to be pretty badass to control Tony and befriend Black Widow. And clearly, the woman in front of him was. "He told us there's no better words for you than his 'better half'."

Pepper's heart clenched at those words. She knew Tony loved her, but she hadn't expected that he would say it so clearly to others. She also knew Bruce's relationship history through Tony, and right then, she honestly couldn't grasp why someone who had loved him so much hadn't stayed by his side.

"What is it with men saying that to others but never to whom it's about?" she wondered.

The scientist shrugged. "I guess Tony is more of an action rather than words kind of guy."

"Ain't that the truth. But he can be sweet when he wants to be."

They both jumped when a sudden voice rang out. "Now, Pepper, don't go telling my secrets to strangers in the night."

Tony himself walked towards them, and as if on cue, all the lights turned back on. "Ah! Jarvis, everything secure in the building? Then run diagnostics, I want to know how this happened."

He further closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Pepper's waist. "What was that about me being sweet? I can't have you spreading that rumour around."

"Don't worry, we already know you're a sap," Bruce interjected, grinning innocently.

Tony narrowed his eyes at his friend. "You weren't trying to seduce my woman, now, were you? I'll have you know that over the last decade she has only liked a very specific type of scientist."

"First of all," Pepper said, slapping him on the arm, "I'm not your _woman_ but your girlfriend. Second, it was either you or Justin Hammer. Must admit, very close call."

"Can we not talk about the guy who tried to murder you, please?" Tony asked in exasperation. Pepper just stared at him in return until he relented.

"Alright, dear, no more calling you a woman."

Bruce chuckled against his better judgement as Pepper shook her head and mouthed _insufferable_ at him.

Bruce thought that Tony could count his lucky stars having a woman like Pepper stay with him for all these years. Maybe he could ask her for some advice some time, try to find his own Pepper.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Hope you enjoyed that first one. You can look through the tags to see all the characters I'm going to include in the following chapters, but if you really really want to see someone specific show up, you can always ask and I might just write it ;)


	2. Scott Lang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, Elien. Three months? Happy New Year, guys! Thanks so much for reading the first chapter of this, I wasn't expecting this much love! I certainly haven't given up on this story; I've just been juggling three stories for different fandoms so that makes it seem like I'm abandoning it, but I'm not! This chapter gave me a bit of trouble, but I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Chapter three is the first one from this story I wrote (months ago), so that's done and shouldn't take so long to post ;)

"What fresh hell is this?"

Actually, that was an understatement. He was in the seventh circle of Hell, probably. Damn whatever deities had let him take his life towards this moment. He looked around slowly, taking it all in, and sighed.  _Bloomingdale's_.

Scott was seriously questioning his life choices. He just had to try and be a romantic during his and Hope's short stay in The Big Apple, hadn't he? Make an effort, like he should've done more for Maggie. But to throw himself into the lion's den like this was just poor judgment on his part. 

Maybe he should've brought Luís.

Anyhow, now that he was here, he wasn't going to back down. Perseverance.

So he started wandering along the aisles, haphazardly rifling through some dresses and clothes, but after about all of 3.2 seconds, he knew this would be a bust if he had to do it on his own. He liked his perseverance with a dash of helplessness.

Walking up to a nearby register, he smiled at the—uh, clothes lady?, and hoped he wasn't smiling creepily. The young woman luckily showed no signs of alarm as she kindly asked, "How can I help you, sir?"

"Well, I'm looking for a gift for my girlfriend," he started, feeling quite like an idiot. He really should've brought Luís. The guy was partial to rosé wine and Neo-cubist art, and therefore a lot more refined than Scott could ever hope to be; it was more than possible that he knew something about fashion. "I'm planning on taking her to dinner and I thought I'd maybe buy her something to wear. I mean, I've seen guys do that in movies and it looks romantic, so..."

The woman— _Leslie_ , as he noticed now from her name tag—tried to hide a grin as she nodded and asked, "Were you thinking of a dress or skirt or something else?"

Scott stared at her in alarm. To be honest, he didn't think he'd ever seen her wear either since they'd met. She probably preferred pantsuits for work, but how was he supposed to know if she switched it up for dates?

Shit.

"Uh... I have no idea. She probably looks good in both," he replied, and Leslie gave him an approving look.

"Good answer. Well, have you thought about maybe taking a bit of a risk and buying her some lingerie?"

Oh no. This was only getting worse. They definitely hadn't reached that stage yet, but now it was all he could think of. Stupid Leslie.

"I..."

"Do you know her size?"

Scott had never felt the urge to run this strongly in his entire life. This woman was being less than helpful for his easily corrupted mind.

He couldn't do anything but stammer. "I don't—we, uh... I—"

"Scott, hi!"

As glad as he was to move on from this train wreck of a conversation, he was startled by the sudden appearance of a woman he'd never seen before calling his name. Except she did look familiar...

"Hi?" he replied uncertainly as the red-haired woman approached with two other women. She smiled at him and turned to Leslie, who seemed to recognise her as well.

"We'll take it from here, thank you for your help," she said kindly, and the young woman actually  _blushed_.

"No problem, Miss Potts."

And then it clicked, as she was guiding Scott away from the counter and into the store. She was Pepper Potts. He hadn't really kept up with the news very much in prison, certainly not financial news, but he had seen enough to know that she was CEO of Stark Industries, now that Tony had joined the Avengers. He'd expected her to be more business-like, surrounded by bodyguards, huge sunglasses on her face; but no, she blended in perfectly and was just accompanied by the Black Widow.

Wait, what?!

He did an actual double take when he realised that Natasha Romanoff was also standing  _right there_ , dressed even more casually than her friend was. She was trying to hide her grin as she looked him over, and he wondered if they were doing a revival of Punk'd he hadn't heard about. 

"You looked like you wanted to flee there for a second," Pepper said, chuckling. If she noticed that he subtly tried to find hidden cameras, she didn't comment on it.

"Me? Nah. Just thinking, you know," he replied lamely.

She didn't look fooled. "It's okay, I've seen that look on Tony multiple times. I'm Pepper."

He shook her offered hand and nodded, smiling. "I kind of figured. Scott Lang. It's a pleasure."

"I thought you'd be taller," Natasha commented by way of introduction, giving him a two-fingered salute. She winked at him, so she was joking, probably? Really, women were difficult enough to figure out without bringing one of the most mysterious women on the planet into it.

"I'm sorry, but how do you know who I am?" Scott asked, hoping there wasn't some huge news report or article on him he hadn't seen yet.

"Really?" Natasha returned incredulously, smirking. "You all but gave your home address to The Falcon."

"Tony has access to his father's SHIELD files, so he knows about the Ant-Man. 'Hi, I'm Scott', then Pym Tech, the attack there and on your ex-wife's house, it wasn't very difficult to figure out," Pepper explained. Scott guessed he should've known they were keeping track of him, he was dealing with one of the smartest people alive.

"I'm sure the others would like to meet you someday soon, especially Tony and Bruce. You're an electrical engineer, right?" Natasha said, surprising him a little with her gentle demeanour. She may have earned her alter ego because of her fighting style, but her personality was apparently a lot better. 

"I am. But, you know, prison has kind of made it difficult to get a regular job," Scott replied, chagrined. "And 'being Ant-Man' doesn't exactly fly with strangers."

Pepper looked at him in sympathy. "You should stop by Stark Industries. Bruce is quite happy there. Maybe you would be, too."

"I will. Thanks for the offer, it's really generous," Scott said, feeling a bit uneasy at her kindness. He wasn't really used to that.

Aside from his sister Beth, who lived in New York with her husband and sons, he had no contact with the rest of his family because of his past. His parents had never really been supportive of him when he was growing up, so he didn't really miss them much—Beth had been his rock three times over, and that was more than enough. Really he should've brought her for this, but that would've ruined the surprise visit he'd planned to pay her.

"So," Natasha began, a smirk on her face again, "What kind of hole were you digging yourself into just now?"

Scott made a face, feeling heat come up his neck. "You know... Trying to find a decent present for Hope in this seventh circle of Hell."

"You're dating Hank's daughter?" Pepper asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah... Why?" he countered, suspicion creeping into his voice.

She tilted her head, amusement lighting up her face. "Nothing. He must like you then. Hank's known for his protectiveness of her, so... Good for you," she added, touching his upper arm briefly. "Hope is absolutely lovely and neither I nor Tony particularly cared for Darren Cross."

"Not an unpopular opinion, trust me."

"You know," Natasha chimed in, her eyes roaming over him again, "Instead of a gift, Hope might also like it if you..."

She shared a look with Pepper and pursed her lips for a moment.

"Lose the ex-con clothes," she finished bluntly. Pepper couldn't hold back a chuckle as Scott stared at Natasha with wide eyes and tried to form words.

"Wh—I... Excuse me?" he spluttered, looking himself over in alarm.

"I wouldn't have put it like that, but she's not wrong," Pepper conceded. "You're a superhero now, a role model for your daughter. Maybe you should dress the part."

"What's wrong with my clothes? Everyone wears this!" he protested, weirdly offended over something he otherwise could care less about.

"There's nothing wrong with them, per se, but there's things that would suit you much better. Before I worked for Tony, he used to wear his workshop clothes to meetings. I got him suits and nice button downs and people took him more seriously after that. What Natasha trying to say is, it could do the same for you."

"Prove to Hope you're serious and all that," she added, winking at him again.

"And aside from that," Pepper continued, "I can tell just by looking at you that your shirt's too big around your stomach and too small around your shoulders."

"Classic superhero physique," Natasha commented, and Scott wished he had a better poker face and a complexion less prone to blushing.

"Well, classic. I think Thor and Cap are still the ones to beat for classic, but never mind."

And the moment was gone.

"So what do you say? Want some help from us?" Pepper asked, rummaging through her purse for her wallet and taking out a credit card. Her expression could only be described as mischievous, and he wondered whether Natasha had rubbed off on her or if Tony Stark had.

"From the woman who is responsible for the best-dressed business man of 2015? Probably."

The two women in front of him shared an amused look, to which Scott shrugged. "What? I might read a Cosmo from time to time. Helps me understand the female mind. Or it should," he added under his breath. So far, it really hadn't.

Natasha moved to stand next to him and leaned on his shoulder. "Right. So, Ant-Man, you in? I helped update Steve's wardrobe, so I deserve some credit too."

Scott considered how outnumbered he was and decided that he at least needed some support. 

"On one condition."

\---

"Come on, Scott, what the hell? Not another pair of jeans, man."

Scott sighed. Luís was supposed to be his backup against these two rather pushy redheads, but no, sir. He had half a mind to end the FaceTime call and shrink his phone to subatomic dimensions. He should've known his friend would try to suck up to them.

"You're supposed to be on my side, Luís."

"And I am! I'm just trying to help you reach your full potential, as these two fine ladies are trying to do."

"I like him," Natasha said, chuckling and waving rather seductively at his friend.  _Traitor_.

He rolled his eyes directly at him and went into the changing room again, resigning himself to his fate. After they had vetoed his preference of wearing his self-professed 'formal jeans', they were making him try on a fancy button down which he felt was too tight for his own good. It wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, though, but he wasn't going to tell them that.

"Hey, look at you, buddy! That's sharp!" Luís exclaimed, barely containing his enthusiasm. Pepper and Natasha actually seemed impressed.  _Typical_.

"See? That looks so much better," Natasha agreed, "it actually fits your body and doesn't hang loose, what a revelation."

Scott fixed her with an annoyed glare, which she completely ignored.

"Really? I don't think people need to see whether or not I had a big lunch," he replied, running his hands over the shirt.

"Just look at yourself in the mirror, Mr. Lang," Pepper said, in a tone that made clear she'd heard those protests before and they weren't effective in the least.

Sighing again, he stepped over to the full-length mirror and pulled a face when he couldn't immediately come up with a witty comeback.

He did look decent. Put together and perhaps a bit younger and more his age at the same time.  _Damn them_.

"Well, I've looked worse," he finally said. "You know, in my prison jumpsuit." 

The two women chuckled in disbelief while Luís burst out into laughter. Scott was fully aware that he was being a pain in the ass, but he couldn't give in too easily or he'd be wearing bright colours next.

"We'll take it as a yes," Pepper assured him, winking at the tablet in Luís' direction. "I think you're ready for the suit."

"The Iron Man suit?" Scott exclaimed excitedly.

"Of course not. Tony wouldn't speak to me for an hour, two at most."

"Imagine the quiet time, Pepper," Natasha interjected slyly, "Maybe you should give him the suit."

"I've worn that suit, Natasha, it's not for just anyone."

Scott scoffed. "That's mean."

"Anyway, I meant  _a_  suit. Pants, jacket and tie."

"She's right, buddy. Every man should have at least one suit," Luís said wisely.

" _You_  have a suit?"

"Of course! What am I, a caveman?"

("Seriously, this guy could be my new best friend, Pepper.")

"I've never seen you wear one."

"I don't have many occasions to, but you know, if the Avengers were to invite us to their headquarters at least  _I_  would be a vision," Luís countered, a smile overtaking his entire face. "Get it?"

"You're no help whatsoever," Scott told him firmly.

"Oh, shut up and put the suit on, Lang."

\---

Scott pulled lightly on the collar of his shirt and then at the tie, even though Pepper had expressly forbidden it. He couldn't help it; he was too goddamn nervous. 

He'd done it: he was wearing a suit, a dark blue one to be exact; he actually looked good in it and he hadn't murdered anyone in the process. He wasn't entirely sure he was okay with having Tony Stark pay for it, but Pepper had assured him he didn't need to, she "would handle it and him"—he didn't even want to know what that meant.

As they had left the store, Natasha had given him both their phone numbers so he could field any and all complaints or compliments their way, and of course Luís had been texting him non-stop.

He went up to the penthouse and knocked, fidgeting with the bouquet of daisies he'd picked up at the last minute.

Hope opened the door with a smile, and he was grateful that she was preoccupied with his clothes so that she didn't notice that he was staring at her. Hope was always beautiful, but the little black dress she was wearing made him curse Leslie again for putting  _thoughts_  into his head.

"You look incredible," he said, handing her the flowers. Her features were full of awe.

"Who are you and what have you done with Scott Lang?"

"Do you like it?" he asked instead, smiling goofily.

By way of reply, she grabbed him by the lapels and kissed him firmly, letting her hands move to his shoulders.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"You're very handsome, Mr. Lang. Was this your idea, or Luís'?" she asked slyly, a bit of disbelief in her voice.

He scoffed again, gesturing wildly. "Why does no one think I have any taste? Okay, I had some help. Oh, and I might have a job, too," he added nonchalantly.

Hope laughed in delight. "What? This is what happens when I let you alone for the day? I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

"I have zero problems with that," Scott replied, kissing her again briefly and taking her hand to guide her to the elevator.

As it closed, he asked offhandedly, "So hey, do you know a Pepper Potts and Natasha Romanoff? Nice ladies."


	3. Bucky Barnes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's been a while, I know, but real life is unprecedently busy right now. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this story - on the contrary. I have a lot of ~feelings~ after seeing _Civil War_ , so I feel like it's now my duty to continue this. I loved the movie, except for that one thing (if you're reading this story, you'll probably know which plot point I'm talking about.), so thank heavens for fanfic!
> 
> Thanks for all the love, and I hope you enjoy this, even though it's rather short - which is weird, because Bucky's my favorite character. I already have ideas to include him in one of the next chapters. ;-) Comments are always appreciated! See you on the flip side!

"This is Pepper, my... ah..."

 Everyone rolls their eyes in unison.  It's a Wednesday when Steve, with Maria Hill and Natasha in tow, comes barging into Tony and Pepper's floor of Stark Tower (which is rapidly becoming the Avengers Tower as more team members come and never go). It's a Wednesday when they tell Tony that The Winter Soldier has been located. The man who, Tony remembers from his father's old files, was formerly known as James "Bucky" Buchanan Barnes; Steve's lifelong friend and apparently, Natasha's 'friend' from the Red Room. (Tony doesn't intend to ask exactly what their relationship entails, but maybe Pepper knows. When two girls— _women_ — hang out, they're bound to talk about that sort of thing, right? Even if you're a Russian spy.)

So The Avengers set out to rescue him and succeed in record time. Winter Soldier transforms into a stunned and meek Bucky at the mere sight of Steve, finding new hope to fit into this strange and cold world where he'd been thrust into on his own.

Tony does not—in any way—get a tad emotional when the men embrace and hold on for dear life. Nope, not all.

Yeah, Pepper doesn't believe him either when he tells her about it.

Okay, _maybe_ he sympathizes with Barnes, because after all, he knows exactly what it feels like to be saved by your best friend. Every year on _that_ day, he adds money to the fund he has set up for Rhodey (and his kids, because if there's any guy who will certainly have some, it's him). Though in the back of his mind, Tony knows it's something he'll never be able to repay.

So when they all arrive back in New York, he hugs Pepper perhaps a little too tightly, but she squeezes back, because of course she _knows_. 

Bucky is looking around the Tower with a curiosity that reminds Pepper of Steve, and she finds it absolutely endearing.

"James Barnes," Tony begins, recapturing his attention and nudging Pepper forward a little. "This is Pepper, my —, ah..."

Everyone rolls their eyes in unison. Pepper groans. "For God's sake, Tony, it's not a cursed word."

"She's his _girlfriend_ , Lord knows why," Steve explains, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I take offense to that," Tony retorted.

"It's actually Virginia Potts, but Pepper is fine," Pepper interrupted, offering Bucky her hand. "It's just the first of many inventions Tony has forced upon humanity without checking the need for it." She says that sharply even though she loves the nickname.

"Oh, wound me thy does, woman," comes her boyfriend's mock-offended reply.

"He says to the woman who makes him forget about his wounds after having used said inventions in ways he probably shouldn't," Bruce chimed in, smirking and offering Pepper his usual sympathetic smile.

"Uh, sensing the rise of a mental picture over here."

Clint grunts as Natasha elbows him in the stomach.

"Pleasure, ma'am. Bucky's fine, too," Barnes finally replies, having found his moment to. 

And like the true 40s gentlemen Steve is also, he kisses the back of her hand. Pepper ignores Tony's grumble behind her, a genuine smile on her face.

Just like Steve, and especially now, he doesn't know what to do with a pause in conversation. 

"I had a cat named Pepper once."

Natasha's rolling her eyes again, Steve does a gesture that can only be described as 'face palming', Thor just looks as puzzled as ever at the mention of this strange phenomenon of 'cat'.

Tony just can't help himself. "Oh wow, and we thought Cap was bad with women."

"Actually, Stark, I'm just not used to dealing with dames who are as fair as Ms. Potts and are, sadly, spoken for," Bucky counters, keeping his eyes (mischievous glint and everything) on Pepper the whole time. Her smile evolves into a grin — oh yes, she likes him instantly. Between him, Thor and Steve, chivalry certainly wasn't dead.

"Seems likes he's better with women than you are, Stark," Natasha says with the most amused tone Pepper has ever heard in her voice.

"Natasha's right. You're one to talk, Tony. Remember the 'a superhero needs a girlfriend speech'? 'Cause I do. Vividly," Pepper remarks, sending him a warning glare.

"So it was the only thing I could think of. Hey, I got the girl in the end, didn't I?"

"And it only took you another year, a crazy Russian with exploding robots and a stroke with death," Pepper deadpans, finally relenting and kissing Tony on the cheek.

"You know I'd do it again in a heartbeat, right, Pep?" He asks her, grin in place but with that familiar hint of insecurity that he uses when checking if he's overstepped it and _completely_ melts her insides.

She gives him her most glowing smile and goes for his lips this time.

In the background, Clint scoffs. "I genuinely don't know how he does that."

"Where did you come up with Pepper?" Bucky suddenly asks, glancing back and forth between the couple. Pepper tries not to feel a little uncomfortable at the fact that they're now talking about her instead of welcoming James (which, she realizes, is going to be confusing when Rhodey pops back around—she silently refuses to call him 'Bucky' just as much as she refuses to call Tony's friend by all the nicknames he's given him. It's always been 'James' or 'Jim' for her).

"Well. The meaning behind it is threefold," Tony starts, three fingers in the air, "First, the hair."

He earns a smack on the shoulder for that, and one would be surprised at how strong the fragile-looking woman actually is. Then again, she used to pick him off the floor on a weekly basis, so.

"Second, you should've seen her when we met: blazing mad at me when I ignored her and her claims of having found an error in my math — it was like she had no fear of getting fired whatsoever."

"Probably would've quit the same day anyway if you'd continued doing so, _Mr. Stark_. I was right after all."

"—Anyway, you know, feisty, spicy, like a pepper. Three... I found it endearing how she had freckles 'peppered' across her nose and cheeks, which stood out even more clearly when she was yelling at me."

The room is silent for a couple of moments, a kind of awe-struck silence lingering until Tony opens his mouth. "Again, poor job-preservation skills."

A collective sigh is heard, along with a tired "Almost had it there." that could really have come from any of them.

And after Pepper leads the way to the spare room on Steve's floor that's temporarily _James_ ' —

He looks it over and turns to Steve, who chuckles and gestures back to Pepper. Her smile is radiant. 

"I called Steve on the plane to ask what your favorite color is, so I could at least make it feel a bit more... _you_. You'll have your own set of rooms soon, I'm sure, but well, wallpaper wasn't to difficult to—"

"It's great. Really. Thank you, Ms. Potts." He stops her rambling with a grateful nod and she sees the storm of emotions in his eyes like she has seen in Tony's so many times, so she just nods back.

"Pepper," she reminds him brightly before bidding them good night.

—Bucky decides he likes her, if only for the fact she's a tremendously decent human being.


End file.
